The Connection
by Norwesterner
Summary: WALL•E and EVE discover a new way to connect with each other. But will it prove to be too much, and what does it do to them, and their relationship?
1. Chapter 1

_I gladly express my thanks to Disney's Pixar Animation Studios for creating and owning the movie WALL•E, and the characters WALL•E and EVE._

_There are a few brief references or potential "spoilers" from the movie. So, by all means, please go see the movie first!_

_The idea for this story just possessed me to write it the night of August 6 — so I was up practically until dawn the next morning finishing it, while the story was streaming vibrantly at full force into my mind. Even I was tearing up while writing the latter stages (and have continued to in revisiting them!)_

_With the completion of a sequel now (The Connection 2 The Day After), this story seems to have settled into its final form._

_If you've ever wanted to see what it might be like if you really were able to connect with a soul mate, read on._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Not long after everyone from the _Axiom_ had settled back on Earth, WALL•E and EVE both paid a visit to the _Axiom's_ Repair Ward. While WALL•E had lasted for centuries on his own, and saw basically no need for it; EVE was used to regular check-ups, cleanings, and software updates, and she convinced WALL•E to join her in this routine.

But having seen in the past what the Repair Ward's diagnostic stations had once done to EVE, WALL•E was very reluctant to have a robot "spa treatment" himself. Barely inside the Repair Ward, he just cubed up, refusing to enter through the Diagnostic Lab door!

"Haaaandsome . . . EVE?" EVE tried to suggest as seductively as she could to convince WALL•E to go into the lab for her sake, and allow himself to be checked and spiffed up into her "dream bot".

WALL•E started to emerge from his cube at those words. He just could no longer refuse a heartfelt request from EVE anymore. She was his primary directive now, and what a wonderful, _irresistible_ directive EVE was for him!

"EVE . . . heeere," she reassured him, as she ushered a now compliant WALL•E to one of the diagnostic stations, never letting go of his hand. She got him to turn around and back onto the station's small platform. The diagnostic station started beeping instructions to WALL•E in the _Axiom's_ standard computer language — but WALL•E just sat on the platform, neither responding to, nor understanding anything the station was saying. He just looked around, wondering when the check-up was going to start. EVE quickly realized what was happening, and beeped and chirped rapidly to the diagnostic station, informing it that WALL•E was operating on old software, that he didn't speak "_Axiom_" code, and that perhaps she could translate.

The station then performed several scans on WALL•E to assess the situation for itself. After a full 15 seconds (an eternity for computers and robots), to EVE's surprise, the station then proceeded to announce its findings audibly in English, resorting to an old default setting when human technical intervention once was required.

"Full software upgrades not possible. Insufficient unit CPU capacity and memory. Insufficient space and incompatible connections for required hardware upgrades. Data input points do not conform to current _Axiom_ standards. Unit is incompatible and obsolete. Awaiting further instructions." the station said, just coming to a stop.

_Incompatible and obsolete?!_ EVE thought, becoming offended at the diagnostic station's seemingly derogatory observations concerning WALL•E.

EVE had never had much faith in, or respect for, the intelligence of these diagnostic stations anyway. She found their inspections to be often annoyingly pedantic and unproductive. So, accessing her own field diagnostic and repair subroutines, EVE took it upon herself to become WALL•E's "Doctor", or at least Nurse Practitioner. After all, she had already brought him back to life once — and in their brief time together, EVE felt she already knew WALL•E, body and soul, better than any mere diagnostic station ever could!

Taking charge of the situation, she beeped instructions to the diagnostic station to produce and extend its touchscreen panel, so she could see WALL•E's diagnostic readouts and schematics for herself. Viewing screen after screen of text, scan images, and engineering diagrams, EVE paused. For the first time, almost in awe, she was seeing all that her beloved was physically. All the software code, circuit diagrams, and systems schematics . . . all that made WALL•E who he was, materially anyway. It was a side of him she just had not seen before.

She inwardly marveled at what she was seeing and learning about him. It made her love him all the more.

But now it was her turn to determine what to do, and how far to go with any modifications or upgrades to WALL•E. Unless other WALL•E units were to be reactivated, he was the only one of his kind that was still operating — so she would be free to determine what would be best for him, and him alone. EVE closed her eyes for a second to process all the data she had taken in on him, and see if a logical course of action would present itself.

"Eeev-aah?" WALL•E interrupted EVE's thinking, wondering what the hold-up was.

"Staaand by!" EVE impulsively barked, as if it was just someone else talking. WALL•E shrank down partway towards his cube state in response. EVE was still deeply engaged in analyzing WALL•E's data and possible courses of action. Her primary WALL•E Directive prodded EVE however, making her realize it was in fact WALL•E talking.

"EVE sooorrry," she said to WALL•E, apologizing with sad eyes for her sharp remark to him, briefly stroking his right optic with her fin.

"Eeev-aah . . . goooodd!" WALL•E reassured her, extending his own hand to touch the side of her head.

EVE warmly smiled with her eyes towards him in gratitude and love.

"Awaiting further instructions," the diagnostic station repeated, jerking EVE's attention back to the task at hand.

Guided by her primary directive, EVE's initial analyses presented two courses of action, which appeared to EVE on her visor's "heads up display" in the form of animated graphics, and scrolling text in the form of _Axiom_ code. She never needed the optional audio narration that was available with these presentations. It drove her nuts, so she kept its annoying extraneous voice inside her head shut off!

The first option she was presented with was that WALL•E could be left as he was — software, hardware, everything.

The second option outlined a more complex strategy. It started with a computer animation showing his entire onboard computer being removed — motherboard, memory boards, and all. EVE basically saw WALL•E's heart being graphically ripped out! She recoiled inside at such a horrible vision! The presentation continued, noting that the resulting void computer space within WALL•E would then need to be reconfigured to accept a new computer unit that conformed to _Axiom_ standards, while still allowing his trash compactor unit immediately underneath the full space it needed to function.

But how could his existing software and accumulated data — including even his mind, maybe his _soul_ — be safely transferred in this whole process? That question sealed it for EVE. This latter option was just too drastic, and could well endanger WALL•E's life and who he was.

EVE decided to run another analysis of WALL•E's data. This time, she changed the parameters to look for interface points in him that could be in any way accessed or modified to enable data exchange between WALL•E and the _Axiom_ without requiring hardware changes to him.

Then a new option flagged EVE's attention, but from an unusual data file — not WALL•E's . . . but her own! As part of her conceived probe work on other worlds, EVE suddenly recalled she was equipped with a Universal Interface, with both wired and wireless capabilities. With it, she could attempt direct connections with most any conceivable computer or computer-like system to exchange data that might be useful in her old primary directive of searching for vegetation.

"Soluuution!" EVE exclaimed to WALL•E.

She then beeped detailed instructions to the diagnostic station to manufacture a data interface cable, 0.75 metres long — with one end having a socket compatible with old-style WALL•E class data ports, and the other end with a socket that would be compatible with her Universal Interface port.

EVE's eyes widened as she realized this would allow her full access to WALL•E's CPU, software, and memory. She could develop customized software upgrades and patches that would finally allow him to understand and communicate in standard _Axiom_ code.

Then she stopped. EVE began to comprehend that this might finally allow her and WALL•E a far more comprehensive and intimate means of communication as well. The impossible thought occurred that . . . _could she dare hope for this? _. . . that . . . she could even touch — _be in direct contact with__ —_ his electronic, but real, mind and soul. That she might somehow commune, unite, _express_, with him in a way that perhaps only the two of them could.

EVE became awed, _staggered_, by this possibility . . . this _dream_ . . . that could suddenly be about to come true.


	2. Chapter 2

Within a moment, a robot arm in the Repair Ward rushed towards EVE, bringing the cable she had specified to connect her with WALL•E. EVE took the cable from the robot arm, conscious of all that it could represent and bring to her relationship and understanding with WALL•E.

Accessing her newly-created WALL•E Engineering data files, she recalled where WALL•E's data port was.

"All ooo-kay," EVE reassured WALL•E as she made three brief taps on WALL•E's Solar Charge Panel display.

"Whooooah!" WALL•E exclaimed as the display obediently hinged open with a soft whirring, to reveal his data port — something he couldn't recall ever having been done to him in his conscious life before! Noting that his port was somewhat corroded and partly filled with dust from centuries of disuse, EVE beeped at the diagnostic station to hand her a standard sonic pulse cleaning tool, which the station compliantly did.

WALL•E started to laugh and jiggle uncontrollably as she cleaned his data port. It was a completely new and unfamiliar electrical sensation to him!

"WALL•E . . . pleaaaassse! . . . Stiiiill!" EVE asked him, trying to continue the cleaning as best she could. WALL•E allowed his EVE Directive to kick in, temporarily disabling his sensory functions in and around the port, finally enabling EVE to complete the cleaning. After cleaning his data port, she carefully plugged one end of the cable into it.

Then, pausing and taking a deep "breath", EVE opened her small Universal Interface port door just above her bio-stasis chamber, and plugged the other end of the cable into her Universal Interface.

As she sent the first data interrogatives along the cable to WALL•E, EVE closed her eyes.

Suddenly, she found herself seeming to enter a new world of awareness for the first time. EVE wondered, was she inside WALL•E's virtual mind, his world? Or in some neutral realm in between her and WALL•E?

Colors, numbers, and letters were all blending together, swirling around her in all directions — forming both random patterns and sometimes data strings, shapes, or images.

"WALL•E!" she called out, hearing her thoughts as speech just as clearly as she did inside her own mind.

"Evah!" she heard a voice respond. It sounded somewhat like WALL•E, but it was different. It was strangely crystal clear, and without typical robotic distortion.

"Show yourself," she asked, tentatively — unsure of whether it was WALL•E, or what form he might take in this realm they might suddenly be sharing together.

A white swirl of numbers and letters emerged from the background, coalescing in front of her perceived vision.

"What form would you like me to assume, Evah?" it asked.

"My name is EVE!" she responded, feigning irritation, yet uncontrollably smiling.

"I know," it said.

"But it's been something I've kept up to let you remember me by, and a way I've used to let you know I love you. How else would you know that it's really me before you now, and not just you talking to yourself?" it continued, with almost a smile in its voice.

"WALL•E!" EVE exclaimed, as she instinctively moved to merge with the white swirl of data before her. She started to experience an enveloping rush of sensations, energies, thoughts, feelings, images — like she never had before.

Suddenly, alarms started echoing ahead of and behind her . . . but seeming like they were each off in the distance someplace.

"EVE, _stop__!_" WALL•E said. "I'm overwhelmed! I feel like I'm losing myself in you! Something's not right!"

EVE pulled her mind back, allowing a distance, a divide to exist between them again. The rush of sensations faded away. The alarms they were hearing around them diminished in pitch and intensity, but did not cease.

"EVE, this link is not sustainable." WALL•E said, with increasing concern and discomfort in his voice. "I feel both like I'm getting hot, and that my mind is starting to fade in and out in places."

From WALL•E's direction, they both heard an automated voice saying, "WARNING: DISCONTINUE INTERFACE! CPU OVERLOAD IN 30 MICROSECONDS!"

"WALL•E!" EVE cried.

"Do not fear, my love!" WALL•E said.

"But there's so much I want to tell you . . . to _share_ with you!" EVE cried tearfully.

"I know," he said. "I want to share my own world of thoughts and feelings with you, too."

"But know this my love." he continued. "You tell me everything I could ever want to understand from you, every time you look at me . . . touch me . . . even beep at me!" WALL•E tearfully laughed.

"WARNING: DISCONTINUE INTERFACE! CPU OVERLOAD IN 15 MICROSECONDS!" the automated voice repeated.

"We have so much more yet to experience out there!" WALL•E concluded.

"Together . . ." EVE said.

"Always . . ." responded WALL•E.

"WARNING: DISCONTINUE INTERFACE! CPU OVERLOAD IN 10 MICROSECONDS!" the automated voice repeated again.

"I love you, WALL•E . . ." EVE said, as she mentally turned back towards her own side of the realm she had entered.

"I love you, Evah . . ." WALL•E said, as he too reluctantly turned back to his own exit from their shared realm.


	3. Chapter 3

Suddenly, EVE's eyes opened. With almost a jolt, she realized she was back inside her robotic self, looking around the Diagnostic Lab.

She reluctantly pulled the cable from her Universal Interface, as WALL•E seemed to awaken within his robotic self. EVE turned her gaze towards WALL•E as she carefully disconnected the cable from his data port, and slowly closed the Solar Charge Level display over it. She opened her own bio-stasis chamber and put the cable inside automatically, almost without thinking.

EVE looked into WALL•E's optics, and he looked into her eyes. Their shared gaze seemed to last an eternity. Then EVE looked down, and started to softly cry, with audible sobs coming over her speaker.

WALL•E moved off the diagnostic platform and took her into his arms. EVE hugged him back, trying to impart a universe of thought and feeling through her embrace of him.

The rest of the diagnostic check and cleaning seemed pointless for now.

WALL•E and EVE slowly moved hand in hand out of the Diagnostic Lab, out of the Repair Ward, and back into the busy world of humans and robots around them.

They went home in silence, keeping part of their view on the path ahead of them, but never letting each other entirely out of their sight, nor out of their touch.

WALL•E opened the ramp into their home, and together they went inside. The day had become very draining for both of them. They did not need "Hello Dolly" tonight. It was clearly time to just go to sleep.

EVE turned to WALL•E, but she couldn't contain herself, and started to softly cry again. WALL•E took EVE again into his arms, and they embraced. He raised his optics to touch EVE's visor, and looked deeply into her eyes.

"Eee-eee-vaaah," he said, slowly.

"WALLLL•EEEE," she said, tearfully.

They went dormant together for the night, embracing just as they were.

Each of them had said all that the other would ever need to hear.


End file.
